New Website!

My new website is live today so I disconnected this blog from my www.melissamcclone.com url. My web designer has moved all the posts from my diary here to my journal there, and that's where all the new stuff will be!

So, so excited and can't wait to hear what you think of my new home on the internet! See you at the new website! xoxox

A New Sale!

I'm adding a new romance genre to my writing...Inspirational! I'm going to be writing a novella called Picture Perfect Love for Zondervan's "Year of Weddings" series. Check out this listing in Publishers Marketplace:

I'm very excited! Hope you have a great weekend!

Dear Kitten

I love, love, love this commercial.



What do you think?

Christmas in June!

Ho! Ho! Ho!  I bet the last thing you're thinking about is Christmas with summer right around the corner!

Well, Tule Publishing Group's Montana Born Books decided to shake things up a little with a Christmas in June Promo! They've repackaged the Copper Mountain Christmas novellas and added a short story as well as recipes from authors! I want that cup of hot cocoa on the cover, how about you?

The Cowboys of Cooper Mountain Bundle is on sale for 99 cents. This is a five day Kindle Countdown Deal! So a limited time offer! It's only available on Amazon, but they do have free readers for other devices besides Kindles. Order a copy here!

What's inside the bundle:

A Cowboy For Christmas by Katherine Garbera
Christmas at Cooper Mountain by Jane Porter
Home For Christmas by me
Mistletoe Magic by me
Recipes from Montana Born Books, Southern Born Books & Holiday Books authors

A contest is part of the Tule Publishing Group promo with a great Grand Prize! Check this out and be sure to enter. You can comment, like and share by clicking here.

Merry Christmas in June!

How cool!

I finished the two manuscripts that I'd fallen behind on when I was sick. The second was sent in last night. Woo-hoo!

Celebration time!

Of course, my friend Gina was on it. She's in Barcelona at the moment and guess what she found in a bookstore there:

Seeing this made my day that much better!

The book is the Spanish version of Win, Lose or...Wed! Very cool to see one of my foreign translations on the shelf! Thanks, Gina! xoxox

Hope all is well! I'm back now! I just needed to finish the books which were the two biggest items on my To Do list!

Amazon Top 100

I got a nice Mother's Day present in addition to roses, a shirt from my youngest and homemade cards from the girls...

The Mother's Day Romance Bundle broke into the Top 100 at Amazon!

That's the highest I caught it. By the time I went to bed, the listing page hadn't caught up to the bestseller list. But here's what I woke up to: 

The bundle will be available a little while longer before disappearing. The 99 cents sale is over, but  $2.99 is still a bargain for twelve stories by eleven authors! You can get the bundle here.

Hope you had a nice weekend. My Mother's Day was full of family time. Mass followed by brunch at Biscuits. A little writing time on my own and watching the Amazon rankings! Then dinner at P.F. Changs. A lovely day!

Coming soon...

A new website design!

It's time.

This one has served me well, and I love it, but I've had pink and purple since my very first website back in 1999 (that makes me feel sooooo old!) and it's time for a change. I'm very excited!

Not exactly sure when the design will come on line. That depends on me, and right now, I have a book that must be finished ASAP since it's already overdue (though I have an extension) because of getting so sick. But I'll keep plugging away in my spare time.

Just wanted to warn you in case you come back in a few weeks and there's well, a new layout!

Hope you have a great weekend!

Cover Reveal!

Check out my lovely new cover for my upcoming August release from Special Edition, The Billionaire's Nanny. Would love to hear what you think in the comment section! Thanks!

Here's the back cover blurb:

TEMPORARY ASSISTANT…FULL-TIME FIANCÉE

Just when he thinks "problem solved," internet billionaire AJ Cole realizes he needs more than a temp. He needs a fiancée to show off when he returns home to Haley's Bay for the first time in ten years. His family has a habit of matchmaking, and AJ doesn't need the drama. But as soon as Emma Markwell agrees to his assignment, he learns that pretend love can feel oh-so real.

Once a nanny, Emma's played many games of make-believe. This shouldn't be any different—until a few hot kisses meant for show blur the line between fantasy and reality! AJ doesn't do commitment, but Emma has always longed for true love and refuses to settle for less. AJ can't resist a challenge, and soon, he can't figure out if he's just trying to get into her bed…or keep her from getting into his heart.

The book is available for pre-order from Amazon!

Mother's Day Romance Bundle

I'm so excited to announce that I'm part of a new release that just came out! Mother's Day Romance Bundle is a set of 12 stories from Tule Publishing Group that will only be available for a limited time for 99 cents!

The bundle is only available in Kindle format (i.e. Amazon), but there are free Kindle apps for many eReaders, phones, computers and the iPad.

Here's the cover blurb:

A selection of tasty treats put together especially for Mother's Day. From the ruggedly beautiful land that is Montana, come these tales of love and romance from some of the genre's best selling and award winning authors.

And the bonus is, they're entirely calorie free!
Happy Mother's Day! 

Some titles have been previously released (like mine, Home For Christmas) while others are being offered for the first time. You'll find stories from the Montana Born Books and Southern Born Imprints as well as a brand-new short from Jane Porter. Titles included:

Tempt Me, Cowboy by Megan Crane
Promise Me, Cowboy by C.J. Carmichael
The Sweetest Thing by Lilian Darcy
Christmas at Copper Mountain by Jane Porter
Home for Christmas by Melissa McClone
A Cowboy for Christmas by Katherine Garbera
What a Bride Wants by Kelly Hunter
Second Chance Bride by Trish Morey
Bet the House by Erika Marks
Sweet Home Carolina by Kim Boykin
A Mother's Day by Kaira Rouda
Sight Seeing by Jane Porter

If you're looking for an inexpensive gift (can't beat the 99 cent price!) for your romance-reading mom, look no further. Buy a gift copy from Amazon, have the certificate emailed to you, print and stick in a Mother's Day card! And yes, I have already done three of the four steps. Just need to buy a card!

For once I'm ahead of the game with Mother's Day. I'd purchased her other presents last month so this will be the perfect addition. She loves to read!

Enjoy and Happy Reading!

Fourteen

Finn trying on Olympic bling at swim clinic

My son Finn turns fourteen today. Hard to believe since he's always been my little boy. I'm in denial that he'll start high school in the fall!

He was a big baby 9 pounds 6 ounces. When he decided, he wanted to arrive there was no stopping him. I was ready to die (fully dialated in a little over an hour) and no one had any idea he was that big because Makenna had only been 7 pounds 15 ounces. Thank goodness he decided to show up a few days early or I'd been in real trouble!

Yesterday was bowling and the arcade at Big Al's. Today he wants Crispy Creme donuts (chocolate and glazed) for his swim team when practice ends today, a special dinner tonight and Dairy Queen ice cream cake for dessert. Very low key. Not sure if it's a boy thing since he's my only one!

I'm sorry I haven't been blogging. I'm still sick. I got worse towards the end of the week and went back to the doctor. Am finally on antibiotics and hoping this does the trick. I've lost another entire month to not feeling well. I want this to stop! Hope all is well with you!

Getting there...

Our fireplace

This was our first Easter since the kids were born that we spent just the five of us. Usually it's my family: my parents, my sister's family and whoever might else show up. But no one wanted our germs. I don't blame them. This crud lasts forever.

My dad said at least I wouldn't have to clean my house, but we did anyway. All of us pitching in to help as we felt up to it. We managed to get eggs dyed and the Easter decorations up on Saturday. The eggs had been boiled earlier in the day, and I was worried the dying wouldn't happen as the time kept slipping away. But it did, and so did the decorating.

We all still have symptoms, but four of us were healthy enough to attend Mass yesterday morning. A lovely service with the church full of white lilies. We saw a few friends who we hadn't seen in a few weeks, a combo of sickness and spring break, in our case both!

Of course as soon as you wake up feeling better, an hour or two later you crash again. So Easter naps became a new tradition. At least for me! But we're slowly getting there...as in getting healthy! I can't wait until that happens. Though I have a feeling the youngest still hasn't hit the worst part yet. Praying she doesn't!

The kids were up to the two egg hunts. One with the dyed eggs courtesy of the Easter bunny and one with candy filled plastic eggs later in the day. A few had change and the Golden and Silver eggs had dollar bills. They missed their four cousins being there, but still had fun. Hey, they scored lots of candy what's not to like?

A much quieter and relaxing Easter than usual, but that was okay. We celebrated the Risen Lord and spent time together. That's all we needed. I hope you enjoyed yourself this weekend!

Happy Easter!

Wishing you blessings and joy! Here's a video of Kelley Mooney singing her lovely adaption of Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah. She received permission to rewrite the lyrics. Perfect for Easter. Worth a listen. Enjoy!

How Frozen Should Have Ended...

Loved Frozen, but this is hilarious and spot on about her parents' parenting...



What do you think?

Home

Home from spring break, but not only am I still sick, the family is also sick now. Will post trip report and pics as soon as I feel a little better!

Hope all is well where you are!

Spring Break Day 1 - The Hell Drive

Ever hear about someone's vacation going badly and then it kept getting worse? Well, that's how I feel right now. How bad has the first day been?

I just got home from the ER. My niece, who we thought had been car sick (she forgot that she takes Dramamine when going on long rides), was still throwing up when hubby took me to the hospital.

Can we have a do-over please?

I have no idea what tomorrow will bring. I'm not sure I want to know.

Hope all is well where you are!

Norwegian Elkhound Puppies - Astra's Second Litter

On deadline, but wanted to take time out to share these adorable Norwegian Elkhound puppy pics with you! These are from Astra's most recent litter out of our breeder Jan Herinckx in Hillsboro, Oregon. You might remember Astra from previous posts. Mackenna has shown her in juniors and the breed ring. Rose used her for 4-H.

Aren't the pups oh-so-cute? Hard to believe our Cato was little just a year ago!

Have you entered to win a Kindle Fire HDX?

I'm on deadline and trying to get a book finished. My son and I arrived home from his Sectional Meet last Sunday, and I buckled down. I haven't been online much or blogging. Sorry. With everything going on in my life, I fell behind on my word count and trying hard to get caught up. I posted about this contest earlier this month, but wanted to mention it again because there are only two days left to enter!

This month I'm taking part in a Kindle Fire HDX Giveaway! (or if preferred the winners can choose a $229 Amazon Gift Card or $229 in Paypal Cash.)

Use the following link and scroll down until you get to the rafflecopter entry form:
http://www.iamareader.com/2014/01/march-kindle-fire-giveaway-sponsor-sign-ups.html

There's also a second giveaway (same prize) if you have a blog and post about this. Info for that is on the link above. You can enter until March 31, 2014.

Good luck! I hope one of you win! If you do, please let me know. Thanks!


Win a Kindle Fire HDX, Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash ($229 value)

This is a joint AUTHOR & BLOGGER GIVEAWAY EVENT!

Bloggers & Authors have joined together and each chipped in a little money towards a Kindle Fire HDX 7".

All New Kindle Fire HDX 7" Giveaway

The winner will have the option of receiving a 7" Kindle Fire HDX (US Only - $229 Value)

Or $229 Amazon.com Gift Card (International)

Or $229 in Paypal Cash (International)

Hump Day

Another week, another swim meet. My son and I will be heading north tomorrow to attend the PNW Age Group Sectionals. He qualified in two events (100 Back and 200 Back) so that means I will have a hotel room and lots of time to write. I plan to watch him swim then leave him with the team and get work done. I can't wait!

Of course, that means doing loads of laundry and folding today. I can now see the carpet but have at least three more loads I need to wash. I found piles of towels in the kids' bedrooms. I don't know why they can't go straight from swimbags into the laundry hamper. Oh, well... At least I know where they all went.

What are you up to today?

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Are you wearing green?

Rose woke up wanting to know if the leprechauns had been by yet. When the kids were younger we used to make traps for them. Those little sly ones never got caught but they would leave gold chocolate coins inside the cages!

Hubby took this at the start of the run.

Yesterday, my hubby and two younger kids participated in the Shamrock Run in downtown Portland. They had fun in spite of the ran at the start!

Very proud of the kids who do not run regularly. They did very well. Finn came in 334th overall out of 10K runners. He was 28th in his age group!  Hubby said he just sprinted away from them once the race started. Finn said he followed a guy who looked like he knew what he was doing to get around the slower crowds, then ended up running with a guy in his mid-twenties who encouraged him on! That was both kids' first 5K run! I hope they want to do more.

Hope you have a great day! Any big plans for today?

Friday Links!

Crazy, unexpected week. Needless to say I haven't been blogging or writing. All I want to do as soon as I finish the final things on my wish-this-hadn't-happened To Do list is sleep. If you know me and where I live, you can figure out what's been going on.

Next week is not going to be pretty trying to catch up on all those words I've missed this week, but I had no choice. Sigh...

Here are some links for you. This is about all I can manage:

1) How would you like this "kitty" to pay you a visit while on a photo safari? Pretty cool and a once in a lifetime experience. Luckies! Click here to go to viralnova.com.

2) I'm a fan of Dave Ramsey's get out of debt snowball plan and his budgeting approach, but I thought Couponing To Disney's method is pretty cool to save up for something specific.  The best part is it's free. No books to buy. And lots of cute downloads to create your budget binder, coupon binder and Christmas binder.

3) I love the movie FROZEN, and I got a chuckle from this honest movie trailer:



Hope you have a great Friday! I'll be so happy to have hubby home this weekend and this week behind us!